Johnson takes 5th straight Sprint title

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HOMESTEAD, Fla., Nov. 21 (UPI) -- Jimmie Johnson won his fifth straight NASCAR Sprint Cup title Sunday thanks to his second-place finish in the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The unofficial tally put Johnson 39 points ahead of Denny Hamlin and 41 ahead of Kevin Harvick after the season-ending race.

With his latest crown, Johnson trails just Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt with seven championships each on the all-time leaderboard.

Carl Edwards, meanwhile, won Sunday's race, taking his second straight victory after going 70 events without a title. He ended up finishing fourth in the Chase for the Championship standings.

Harvick finished third at Homestead and Hamlin ended in 14th place.

Harvick was assessed a crucial penalty that dented his title hopes, with officials ruling he left the pits too early while holding the lead on lap 192 of 267.